The Book - History, Literature and Mythology of the Hindoos in 4 Volumes - traces the origin of the Hindu nation. Their most early writings about their History, manners and customs and a variety of facts connected with their records are noticed in this and other works. Here, we have the extraordinary fact that the greater part of the human family are still Hindus or in other words, that they are under the transforming influence of the philosophy and religion of the HIndus. In this philosophical system, the one God is considered as pure spirit divested of all attributes; and every thing besides God is declared to be inert matter.

Divine wisdom leading to perfect abstraction of mind is the only direct way of emancipation from matter ot absorption into the divine nature. The person who seeks to acquire this wisdom is directed to realise every visible object as God, and God as everything so that he sees God everywhere; and hence his mind becomes fixed exclusively on God, to the utter wxclusion of all connection with matter.

A more correct knowledge of the Hindus appears to be necessary when we consider, that their philosphy and religion still prevails over the greater portion of the globe, and that it is Hinduism which regulates the forms of worship and the modes of thinking, feeling, and acting, throughout India, CHina, Japan, Burma, Thailand, Sri Lanka etc. The Buddha worshipped, in China, Japan and other parts of Asia, is universally known to be one of the ten Hindu incarnations. Some persons imagine that Buddha was the ancient religion of the Hindus.

The Book also makes a critical evaluation of the popular superstitions which are inextricably tied with Hinduism. These consist in daily ablutions connected with the worship of a person`s guardian deity, or the stone called shalgram, service paid to a person`s divine mentor, the worship of different deities in special occasions, monthly or annually, recitations of sacred scriptures, repeating the name of the Gods, pilgrimage duties to deceased ancestors, funeral rites and offerings, etc.

These remarks the author has prefixed to the English edition of his work, in the hope of calling the attention of his countrymen to the deplorable intellectual and moral condition of British India. A more detailed view of this subject will be found in the closing pages of these volumes and the introductory chapter of the book.